Former Wisconsin OC Phil Longo Surprisingly Lands a Head Coaching Job

After two disappointing seasons as Luke Fickell's offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, Phil Longo has landed a head coaching gig. He'll head south to Texas to take over Sam Houston State as the new head man.

Longo will be a familiar face in Huntsville, where he held the offensive coordinator position for Sam Houston State from 2014 to 2016.

Phil Longo Hired at Sam Houston State

"Throughout each step of this process, Phil Longo kept rising to the top as the best choice to lead our football program," Director of Athletics Bobby Williams said on Wednesday. "He checked all the boxes we were looking for from knowing our program and his success as our offensive coordinator. His growth from his time at Ole Miss, North Carolina and Wisconsin were also key factors in our decision."

Despite having a few down years in Madison, where the offense averaged just 23 points per game during his time, Sam Houston State saw enough to make Longo their head coach. He was fired from Wisconsin before the end of his second season.

Wisconsin has since hired Kansas' Jeff Grimes as Longo's replacement, who has vowed to get back to a more Badger-like offense of hard-nosed physical running and smart passing.